Only 18% of graduates secured jobs in 2020, compared to the typical 60% pre-pandemic, and this is the unfortunate reality for students entering into one of the toughest job markets in decades. Recruitment has been heavily impacted by Covid-19 so it’s no surprise that many fresh grads are struggling to find a role in their relevant degree field.
This issue has been exacerbated by employers who reduced the number of graduates hired or opted not to employ them at all during the pandemic, leading to a decline in the graduate market. In fact, the UK’s top employers recruited 3,700 fewer graduates in 2020. This is partly due to managers fearing the risks. How do you onboard a junior staff member with very little experience remotely?
Recruitment levels aren’t expected to change drastically in 2021. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There is light at the end of the tunnel as industries begin to reopen and expand their teams. Despite the disruption of the pandemic, there has been a modest rise in the number of graduate vacancies available this year. When it comes to your business, hiring graduates can be a fantastic move, especially in a market like this. Here we explain the reason why this is and how to attract the very best grad talent.
Why graduates benefit your business
With a fresh wave of graduates entering the job market, there’s plenty of talent out there to choose from. For businesses to continue to thrive and create high-performing teams, employers must consider young people as they’ll prove to be incredibly valuable to your company for many reasons:
- Graduates are more affordable to hire as they typically start on a lower salary.
- They’re ready to learn and get stuck into the professional world of work.
- At the very beginning of their careers, graduates want to make a good impression and succeed and are also fantastic for providing new perspectives.
- Considering the market isn’t in favour of graduates, they will be much more grateful to your business when you hire them, boosting their engagement at work and increasing loyalty to you.
These individuals are young, new to the world of work, and full of creative ideas that will benefit your business. So, what have you got to lose?
Five ways to attract the best graduate talent
- Provide training opportunities
Graduates are keen to be hired in roles that promise career growth and development, so creating programmes within the workplace that encourage learning is essential. Training not only benefits those you employ but also your business as it can increase productivity, improve employee satisfaction and morale, and retain your most talented workers. Considering 76% of Gen Z candidates view learning as key to their advancement, offering them the chance to improve is a no-brainer.
One way to provide opportunities is by introducing internships and apprenticeships that allow individuals to gain knowledge, learn new skills, and climb up the career ladder. Apprenticeships, in particular, help the learner become fully occupationally competent in the workplace, and you don’t need to organise this yourself as there are external companies that run such courses. For example, training providers MTD Training can help you develop your staff through apprenticeships by giving them “knowledge, skills and behaviours that they embed into your [business] culture”.
- Address issues that matter to them
The latest influx of Gen Z individuals into the job market has a variety of requirements that they want companies to fulfil. They want to work for employers who have a commitment to social responsibility, take an active stand when it comes to cultural issues, and show support for the community. So, to attract the attention of Gen Z while recruiting, your business needs to be targeting what they care about, such as diversity, sustainability, or LGBT rights.
47% of Gen Zs say they expect brands to speak out about injustice via their online platforms. As a result of growing up in the digital world, candidates are more likely to research companies to identify what they stand for and whether their attitudes align with their personal ones. As a result, it’s worth ensuring your job ad and website clearly define your company’s purpose and mission, and what it believes in.
- Be a diverse workforce
The pandemic has highlighted many issues within the labour market regarding diversity, including a lack of representation for minority groups. Grads looking for jobs are likely to apply to companies that boast an inclusive environment. In fact, in a survey by Monster, 83% of Gen Zs said that a business’s commitment to inclusivity and diversity is important when choosing an employer.
This might be the most social-conscious and diverse generation so far, so you want your business to appeal to them as much as possible. In order to attract these graduates, start from the very foundations of your company. What is the culture like? Does your team consist of a mix of backgrounds and abilities regardless of sex, age, gender, race, and disability? If not, how can you change this?
- Offer flexibility
There’s no doubt that many businesses have succeeded while working from home during the pandemic. This way of working appeals to Gen Z graduates — even before Covid-19, 75% said that workplace flexibility is the most attractive employee benefit. Now that the pandemic has shown productivity is still possible outside a 9-5 office, flexibility is a must to retain staff and many graduates will be seeking roles that offer a hybrid way of working. A recent Gartner poll found that 41% of employees will likely work remotely at least partially after the pandemic, so candidates will be anticipating this when applying for new jobs.
It’s imperative for your business to offer flexible working arrangements to attract the best graduate talent. If your company has already adopted the work from home model, there’s no harm in switching to a hybrid approach that allows staff to pick and choose what days they work in the office. Providing this work-combo is very attractive to many as of late. Aim to offer these benefits to people at the point of hire so that expectations are clear.
- Highlight mental health
Unfortunately, one of the negative impacts of Covid-19 was a drop in mental health, as a result of many staff members facing uncertainty about their job, finances and future. Almost 70% of those working from home have actually experienced more stress and suffered from burnout. When trying to pick the best of the bunch, you need to position your business as one that understands and cares about mental health. Candidates need to know that their mental wellbeing is being considered and that their employer is doing everything that they can to make accommodations for individuals who need them.
Managers have to be more understanding than ever before by regularly checking in with workers, and providing useful resources to help overcome issues that could lead to stress and burnout if no action is taken. This can be further bolstered in your organisation by training your department heads in how to support their staff’s wellbeing so that everyone is on the same page.
- Emphasise job security
This is an important one in post-Covid-19 times. Over the last year, hundreds of people have faced job losses and experienced financial worries. In fact, Gen Z was hit the hardest. With very few jobs available in such a competitive market, it’s been a tough ride. To combat this, you need to assure candidates of job security, especially in these circumstances. Given the climate graduates are entering, this is so important to emphasise.
Candidates will be seeking stability and a workplace where they can develop their careers over time. You can demonstrate job security to individuals by sharing your vision for their future and commitment to your employees. This needs to give your new hires confidence that their workplace isn’t going to hit financial problems soon and go bust, leaving them suddenly out of a job.